PART FOUR: Flora and Fauna
by Jackrabbit2011
Summary: Oh. My. God! That was the biggest bloody flower I'd ever seen. I never thought the Doctor could take me to a place with flowers as big as trees, but then again the Great Wise Birds did say he would...
1. Mille Fliori 1

**A/N: Hey, the third adventure. **

**Oh, and for the Caeli- picture a cartoon of Bambi! Trust me folks… **

**PART FOUR: FLORA AND FAUNA **

**Five: Mille Fliori **

"Right, where next?"

Rose deliberated for a laborious second whilst the Doctor tapped his foot impatiently, anxious to depart.

"Well, mum's gonna be pretty miffed that we haven't been to see her in a while..." Rose trailed off as the Doctor snorted.

"Ugh, we can't even go halfway across the universe without that woman cropping up." He complained, and then quailed under Rose's hot glare.

"Hey, watch it you- she's not _that woman_, she's my mother; and she is the only person in the my entire world I can't escape from by travelling to another planet. Live with it."

The Doctor huffed. "I like that- _live with it_...

Rose shot her companion a half-hearted death glare. "A_nyway,_ she likes flowers- anywhere that I can get some nice flowers to soften her up a bit? Nice one's mind- not cheap ones you can get from a corner shop."

The Doctor stretched. "What's wrong with a good corner shop? I know a fair few mates who work in corner shops- corner shopists are often the best of people." He argued, all seriousness.

"_Doctor_."

"Oh relax woman- ow! Rose Tyler, you don't your own strength- anyway, I know just the place…"

* * *

"Oh _wow_." Rose breathed as she stepped out of the TARDIS. She heard the Doctor chuckle behind her, but she couldn't help it; the place was beautiful.

"Mille Fliori- the planet of the Flowers or 'a thousand flowers' in Italien. Home of the bees and first discovered by an Italien botanologist in the year 345 005. That's three hundred and forty-five thousand years after you met me." The Doctor explained proudly.

Rose returned his grin and then frowned. "Wait a minute- did you say _home of the bees_?"

He gave her an odd look. "Um, yeah- why?"

Rose shook her head. "Are you saying _bees _are _aliens_?"

The Doctor looked at her as if she's said the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "No," he scoffed. He paused. "Well, not all of them." He turned back to the cliff edge they stood on, gazing out at the sea of flowers below them. "So... what do you think?" he asked- Rose smiled at the almost nervous tint to his voice, as if he was anxious to please her.

"I love it." She assured him- loving the smile she got in return. "But how are we supposed to get down there?" She asked, indicating the sharp drop from the cliff to the floor that she could barely see- everywhere was a mass of colour; flowers, both huge and miniscule coated the earth like a second, vibrant skin. The plants stretched from horizon to horizon, with only the barest glimpses of the green grass below. It reminded Rose of the pictures she had seen of the Amazon rainforest; infinite, unbreaking seas of flowers that strained upwards, eager for the light the three weak suns gave.

"We're going to slide." Came to reply. Laughing, Rose followed the Doctor to a huge flower- bigger than any plant she had ever seen; it rose higher than her head- that had a single green leaf looped around and around the stem- that was thicker around than Rose's waist- like a natural slide. She looked nervously at the Doctor. "I thought you were kidding." She said as she studied to leaf; it looked much too flimsy to hold her weight, much less the Doctor's (although, he was probably lighter than her, Rose thought; he was like a string bean. A crazy string bean. A string bean in sneakers and a suit.)He only laughed at her trepidation.

"You'll be fine; the leaves of an Owenia tree are very tough, and capable of withstanding gallons of water. The two of us are going to be nothing, even to a junior plant like this." He noticed her look. "Come on- you've flown on Vargen, ice-skated thirty feet off of the ground- this should be no trouble for one like you, Rose Tyler."

"No," Rose said to herself, nodding; determined. "You're right- this is easy." She couldn't completely quash the fear, however, but she managed to push it away long enough to wrap her arms around the Doctor- the curve of his shoulder's so comfortably familiar to her now- and lower herself into the slide-like indentation of the leaf.

"Ready?" he asked, grinning loonishly.

"N-

A mile below, in the thick undergrowth of flowers, animals nosed and birds chirped, the only noises natural and the atmosphere peaceful, unwound.

Seconds later, the passive harmony of the natural world was shattered by a woman's scream- the kind that only issued from the mouth of someone who was scared beyond measure, and loving every moment. Animals scattered and birds took to the air as two people shot from between the petals of a large purple flower and collapsed in a giggling heap on the blossom-laden grass.

Rose tried to speak, but could not words past the hysterical chuckles that she couldn't control- they were the chuckles of someone who was in shock from facing a near-death experience and couldn't think of anything to do but laugh and keep on laughing. She was slumped, exhausted in a heap- half straddling the Doctor, who was equally possessed by uncontrollable fits of laughter- Rose couldn't muster the energy to move, but then she caught sight of her surroundings and sat bolt upright.

Everywhere she looked, Rose could see flowers.

But not Earthen flowers- no, these were a billion times more extraordinary than any plant she had ever seen on her own planet; there were flowers with heads larger than the length of her bed back at home, and buds that were no bigger than her thumb nail, nestled snugly in robes of thick luscious leaves.

Amid the green grass, there were patches of red, like splashes on a painting- in such spots, miniscule flowers, their pin-sized heads sitting on fragile, hair-like stems, their petals all fiery colours, like orange, pink and yellows, matching the vivid red of the grass well. Rose choose such a patch and, careful not to squash any of the delicate flowers, sat down. She felt the Doctor sit down beside and turned on her side to face him. He did the same; their noses almost touching as they laughed. Through the giggles, Rose was highly aware of the proximity- a feeling she couldn't name rising inside her as she stared at her friend. The Doctor's eyes lingered on her face for a moment, before he proceeded to tell her the names of the beautiful plants around them.

"Enizzi." He said, pointing at some small flowers near Rose's head, about the same size as lilies and the same kind of shape- their petals every colour Rose knew, and some she didn't; rippling in a breeze that Rose couldn't feel.

"Glaedr Bushes." Delicate bushes that ringed the clearing, covered in powder blue leaves and palm-sized white blossoms- swirled like the lollipops Rose used to get free from the newsagents- scattered all over them like the spots on a Dalmatian.

Rose snuggled closer to the Doctor; sleepy under the pleasant heat of the suns overhead- she yawned, and felt the Doctor chuckle underneath her.

"I'm not tired…" She mumbled; but it was a bare-faced lie- the heat and the softness of the Doctor's coat, coupled with the lullaby emitted by the bees and other insects around the clearing made her feel so unbearably tired. The beautiful perfume that so many flowers in one place made Rose's head heavy, her thoughts sluggish until she was half-asleep before she could stop herself.

_The suns dawn and the west wind blows; _

_And carries with it the lovely rose. _

_Flower's so distant yet right there _

_Floating on with such pained care. _

Rose vaguely heard the words- sung by a voice that seemed so familiar, yet she in her semi-conscious state could not name it. The melody lulled her deeper under the spell that had so captured her, and all noise- and eventually, even those four lines that were being sung to her- faded away, leaving her with only tired silence.

**A/N: Second part in a fortnight... reviews would be welcome. **


	2. Mille Fliori 2

**A/N: Second instalment of the Flowers… **

**Five: Mille Fliori (2) **

Rose opened her eyes to a world she didn't recognise. She sat up and looked around sleepily.

It was so unlike her home, back on the Powell estate; there was no concrete, no cars; no teenagers pushing buggies and yelling at screaming toddlers.

Just the endless, infinite flowers.

And what noise! Gone was the roar of a cheap car, the steady bustle of crowded pavements, the yells and shouts of chaotic adolescents that Rose had been so used to.

But this… this noise wasn't something she heard a lot. It sounded… _natural_.

The buzzes, the chirrups; the hums, the sounds she had only ever heard on nature programmes of the few times she'd visited her crazy aunt Phyllis.

Rose blinked; it seemed to be raining petals- she looked up and realised that she was lying beneath a blossom tree (its leaves were a deep orange) and was currently being rained heavily upon by soft, pale orange-yellow blossoms. As she focused on the petal that had drifted onto her nose, Rose remembered how she had fallen asleep on a planet called Mille Fliori- but where was the Doctor?

He was nowhere to be seen- Rose felt a quick stab of panic, but dismissed it immediately; the Doctor was fine, she knew he would look after himself. He would find her when he was ready; meanwhile… she needed to choose some flowers for Jackie.

_Now… _Rose thought, frowning. How do you choose flowers for someone from another planet? She looked around, noticed a break in the huge, towering flowers and decided to follow the path and see if any particular flowers grabbed her attention.

Now, the huge ones were out of the question, Rose decided; she could just imagine the difficulty of trying to get the things out of the ground, let alone finding a giant jug big enough for it to go in. Some nice, normal-sized ones would suffice, she reasoned.

She kept wandering, looking for some flowers that jumped out from the rest. At least she wasn't bored- the sheer variety of plants stretching from horizon to horizon never failed to impress her. She felt a small thrill when a patch of small white buds, not unlike daffodils, rustled and two huge eyes appeared.

"Hello, gorgeous aren't you beautiful?" She murmured to the little creature; about the same size and shape as a baby fallow deer, the creature blinked its huge eyes trustingly at her; its long nose twitching with curiosity. She reached out and stroked the baby animal gently between its huge ears; her large, saucer-like eyes closed in contentment. The coat of the animal glittered in the dappled light, speckled and decorated with a smattering of pale spots, like a fallow fawn- it's features were too big for it, like a baby- it's ear and eyes were huge, ready to be grown into.

After several minutes, the fawn eyes opened and looked at her lovingly before darting away, its tufty tail bobbing through the undergrowth like a white beacon. Rose watched her go, a mixture of sadness and happiness mingling inside her as she watched the creature dance away.

"Lovely, aren't they?" Came a familiar voice behind her. Rose didn't turn around when she felt the Doctor come to stand next to her, only reached out and took his hand.

"Yes- what are they?" She asked softly.

"A beginning of the fallow deer; the Caeli. Lovely creatures- very gentle." The Doctor replied, smiling at her. He paused. "Did you find Jackie's flowers?" Rose shook her head.

"These flowers are all so lovely- but that it, they're just flowers. Nothing special." Rose smiled thinly at the Doctor's huff. "What I mean is… I want something memorable; something Jackie can keep forever, and remember me when she sees it." The Doctor nodded slowly.

"How about… some nice _Jaedria_?" He nodded behind her; at the base of a huge tree- its trunk tinted slightly with lilac- grew some flowers. But… they weren't flowers, at the same time. Their petals seemed insubstantial- more like water than solid petals. They flowed and rippled- seeming unaffected by gravity- in every direction, a soft silver colour in the dappled light.

Rose loved them.

"They're beautiful." She breathed, lost for words- this was exactly what she had wanted- but she felt a small pang of sadness as she realised the lovely flowers would only last several days, and then would become a distant memory, eventually forgotten until nothing remained of the alien flowers that Rose so loved.

"The name means _an infinite rose_." The Doctor said softly next to her. He smiled at her raised eyebrow. "They don't die- this is the only patch of them for miles on Mille. They are beautiful, very rare and very valuable. Sounds like Jackie's sort of thing." He grinned, darting away from her hand.

"I can't take these," Rose said, saddened. They were so perfect. "They're too rare and beautiful- I'd be causing the extinction of a breed of flower because I wanted a gift for my mum." The Doctor shook his head.

"Oh come now two or three isn't going to wipe them out."

"Well…" Rose was still uncertain, but the Doctor ignored her trepidation and dropped to his stomach next to the flowers. Taken aback by the abrupt movement, Rose followed.

The Doctor had his nose almost touching a petal- going almost cross-eyed trying to look at it- and turned to look at her.

"Shall I?" he asked, eyeing the flower. He took Rose's silence as permission and cleared his throat. "Excuse me…"

Rose stared at her friend- just when she thought the Doctor couldn't surprise any more, he began talking to a plant; the serious look on his face indicating that he fully expected the flower to answer back. They waited in tense silence for several moments, before the Doctor snorted.

"How very rude." He huffed, indignantly. Rose struggled against a smile.

"Are you expecting a conversation?" she asked, unable to keep some of the laughter escaping into her voice. The Doctor shot her a dark look, like she'd just answered a phone in a church.

"Oh Miss Tyler- you're so human." He said, obviously miffed and turned back to the flower. He took a deep breath.

"OI!" He yelled; Rose flinched at the volume, but still the flower did nothing. If it had had ears, Rose thought, it most likely would have been deaf by now. She looked at the tiny silver plant sympathetically.

And then it rustled.

The plant shook itself, straightened and became immobile once more. Immediately, Rose heard a soft, almost weary voice in her head.

_May I help?_

The Doctor nodded. "Finally! - took you long enough."

_Time Lords are not excused rudeness, Doctor. _

Rose chuckled at the Doctor expression; he looked like he'd been slapped.

"Right, err… sorry." He said, like a scolded school boy caught with a hand in a sweet jar. He coughed. "Um, right… anyways"-

_Your point, Doctor? _

Rose looked side ways at the Doctor. "How comes it knows your name?" She asked, and then winced as a sharp pain lanced through her forehead.

_Please refrain from generalizing me, miss Tyler. _The voice sounded in her head. Rose thought it sounded mildly angry. Rose looked at her friend, who shrugged, grinning.

"Um, sorry." She muttered to the flower. The plant didn't reply. "Are you going to explain, Doctor?" she asked him- he only grinned lopsidedly.

"Did I mention that _Jaedria_ also means 'the divine mind'?" the Doctor asked innocently. "Named such for their immense physic capacity?" He acknowledged her uncomprehending look. "They are the only plant that is evolved enough to think- well, in the human sense of the word, anyway."

"So…" Rose mumbled, still struggling to understand the concept of a talking flower. "It can… think. Like a human?"

_Better, I believe, Miss Tyler. _The flower now seemed almost amused. _Now, back to the matter at hand… I believe you have a request? _

"What? Oh yes!" The Doctor brightened and sneezed. "Ooh, sorry, pollen's getting to me… any-hoo, I was wondering if we could have some of your, ahem, stock?"

Rose stared at her friend, horrified at his words. "Doctor, they're real things, not rice!"

He laughed and shook his head. "Only this one that we're talking to- all of the others are just flowers." Rose frowned.

"How does that work?"

The Doctor groaned. "Well, Jaedria grow in 'flocks', with one as the- oh, never mind- too complicated; I'll explain another time." He straightened and turned back to the Jaedria and its little guard of 'regular' flowers.

"So…are any of them off-limits?"

_I shall permit you one, and one only Time Lord. Jaedria are precious; and time has not been kind to our numbers. _

"Right…" The Doctor muttered, and turned to one of the smaller, just-flowers flowers and rolled up his sleeves. "Now, this is going to take a while, Rose- feel free to wander if you want. Just don't get lost."

Rose ignored the comment and remained where she was. "Maybe later." In truth, she was curious to see what would happen.

The Doctor took a deep breath and started to hum softly, to a tune Rose didn't recognise, but instantly loved. She resisted the urge to close her eyes and sway, instead watched as her friend carefully ran his fingers down the delicate stem of a Jaedria, the tips skimming over the soft ridges with the tender expertise of someone handling a very rare, very fragile thing.

Rose blinked as she watched the stem of the plant ripple, as if the Doctor's touch tickled.

He continued to hum the haunting tune, and after several long seconds, Rose saw the plant wriggle slightly, and several of its roots disengaged from the soil. The Doctor paused then and winked at her.

"Kindly does it…" he murmured, and began the routine again- he would hum and stroke the stem for several minutes and then pause, each time more and more of the plant's roots loosened in the damp earth, until eventually, enough were loose that the Doctor could gently put his hands- his skin now stained black with dirt- under the leaves and pick the flowers up, delicately placing it in one of his huge outer pockets, like an newborn bird.

Rose stared at him. "I didn't know you could sing." She whispered, half-afraid to raise her voice, like if she were in the presence of sleeping baby, not a plant. The Doctor snorted softly.  
"Singing and humming are not the same things."

Rose's eyebrows rose. "My singing teacher disagreed- she thought humming was what your singing voice is based on."

"Well, mine didn't…" The Doctor sniffed and turned back to the small dent in the earth. "I'll sort this out and then we can make our way back if you want."

Rose felt a rush of disappointment. "No! Do we _have_ to leave?"

The Doctor smiled ruefully. "Unfortunately, yes- I'll bring you back another day, I promise. But for now, I'll sort out here and you go and have a last wander."

Rose nodded and set off, leaving her friend returning playing Gardner's World and talking to a flower.

* * *

For a while, Rose wandered.

Just let her feet guide her through fields of wheat-like stuff dotted with vivid red flowers not unlike poppies, and around lakes that were ringed with thousands of tiny flowers of all colours Rose could name- and a few that she knew had never existed on earth.

Eventually, after pushing through some satellite-dish sized (and shaped) blue flowers with soft red heads, Rose came into a clearing; the floor was coloured in a patchwork of red, green and orange and three massive, tree-tall flowers that had lusciously green stems and leaves with thin threads of blue and orange running through them like veins.

"I feel like a right midget." Rose said aloud, her voice echoing through the clearing as she stared up at the massive flowers above her, the comparison distinctly alike to that of staring up at her best friend from high school, Simon- who'd been a full head and a half taller than her throughout their entire time at school.

"You know talking to yourself is the first sign of madness." Came an amused voice behind her.

"And stalking people is the second." Rose retorted, grinning at her friend, who was leaning casually against the stem of another, equally large plant. He smiled and walked over to her. He took a silver watch from amidst his coat and studied it.

"Hmm… if I'm right we should be just on time." The Doctor muttered and then straightened. "Come, come, Tyler- we've got places to be!"

* * *

From their relatively solid position on the ground, Rose had followed the Doctor to a growth of spiny vines- he hadn't stopped to name them, only set about climbing them. Rose had stared after her friend for several seconds, before his head had reappeared and the Doctor had took her hand, hoisting her up the vines and through a break in the trees.

Above the treetops, Rose could see for miles in every direction- the view broken only by the occasional massive flower that blocked all sight. The two of them were currently sitting on the most bizarre flower Rose had ever encountered; it was a vivid orange, with longer petals on one side than the other- it gave to affect of the flower being tipped onto its side and the petals just flowing outwards onto the tops of the trees like water.

"It's lovely." Rose breathed; the warmth of the setting sun- which she could see clearly from their flower, burning passionately over the fringes of the trees - pleasant on her skin. She felt the Doctor chuckle- the action making his shoulders shake underneath her.

"Mille is a lovely place- even if you don't like flowers." He agreed, and, almost too quietly for it to be intended for her ears, Rose heard him add, in a murmur. "Alina loved flowers too."

Rose couldn't decide whether it had been directed at her or not, so she didn't reply; despite her enormous curiosity- the Doctor had never mentioned an _Alina_ before...

A thought struck her and she grinned. _Hey, _she thought happily. _Xiea was right- I have met talking plants and seen flowers taller than me! I wonder how she knew… _

Her thoughts were interrupted, however when the Doctor shifted slightly, and she almost fell off him.

"Hey!" she cried as she tumbled sideways off the Doctor's shoulder onto the flower; his arm shot out and caught her before she tipped too far. He laughed and fumbled around in one of his many pockets for several minutes before he found what he was looking for.

"Here," He said and handed her a smooth, circular object. Rose looked at her friend in puzzlement as she turned the thing over in her hands.

It fit perfectly in her hand, almost as if it had been made solely for that purpose; made of some strange substance not unlike glass, it shone like polished metal, glittering in the dying light. But it wasn't entirely... substantial, Rose thought; the material swirled inside the glass-like stuff looked like it could float through her fingers, gliding through the air inside like ribbons. To her skin, it felt like silk, and yet it looked more like mist.

"What is it?" Rose breathed, and then gasped as she moved her fingers slightly, and the centre of the object was revealed.

The most beautiful flower Rose had ever seen lay at the centre; its breathtaking splendour bringing tears to her eyes- its pale petals were spread in a perfect fan around the head; tiny, fragile veins draped over their surfaces like the daintiest of latticework. The whole structure glowed with an ethereal light, making Rose's face glow faintly.

"It's yours." Came the quiet, almost embarrassed reply.

"Oh..." She whispered, at loss of words at the beauty of the gift. "_...mine_?"

He nodded- were those _red spots_ appearing on his cheeks? - Rose thought, half-amused, half-touched by such a kind gesture.

Lost for words, she leaned over and enveloped him in a huge hug. She thought dimly of how nice he smelled- a scent she couldn't name that seemed wholly his own; a mixture of pine and mint and sunshine and things she couldn't fathom, but it was a scent she recognised easily, even more so than her own. The Doctor froze when her arms encircled his shoulders, as if in surprise, but gradually the tension melted and he softened to her touch. He returned the hug, holding her so tightly, like a drowning man- Rose thought nothing of the heat of his hands on her back, but a small part of her mind- quiet and in a deep recess within her head, so far away from her conscious thoughts that she didn't even hear it; the voice that whispered in approval and hummed with pleasure at the contact. But she heard none of it, and, blissfully ignorant of her unconscious enjoyment, existed only in her universe, where Rose Tyler was holding on tightly like she was going to die if she didn't, hugging her friend, the _Doctor._ An alien who she loved dearly, and couldn't live without anymore.

"Thank you." She whispered in her friend's ear, and felt him hug her even more tightly in response.

Behind them, the last of dying embers scattered across the treetops faded as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting all in calm twilight.

**A/N: Bit of a long one there, sorry... oh well. Next chapter in a fortnight or earlier, if I can manage it... **

**Reviews? **


	3. The Singing Trees 1

**Six: The Singing Trees **

**Rose **

The noise started long before the TARDIS even registered Fauna's existence, and it came without warning; one second the only sound was the whirr of the TARDIS, and the next this music was reverberating through my ears.

The Doctor told me that it was the creatures of Fauna that I could hear, that their songs could be heard throughout the galaxy.

"The Vixi are a singing race," The Doctor explained as he flicked switches and zoomed around the control room like a blue bullet. "Their planet, Fauna, is around eighty percent forest- the rest is made up of mountains and lakes- there are no seas or plains, anywhere." Rose nodded slowly as she digested the new information- she knew that she would never remember any of it when the Doctor tried to explain another planet to her, but it was interesting anyway.

"Sounds nice- let's go." She said, and then frowned. "Unless they're like those Paddina people. I did _not_ like them." The Doctor sighed, exasperated.

"You're not going to let that one go, are you?" He moaned. "All they did was go completely crazy and chase us and then cover you in blue stuff- uh, and then, um, threw feathers… at, uh you." He said, making a face as his argument lost its power. He shook his head. "Oh, you so should have killed them."

"Er _yes_, I think I should have done." Rose said, her voice deadly. The Doctor coughed, unnerved.

"Anyways… I'm certain they're not like that- shall we go?"

Rose paused, deliberating for a second before grinning. "Go on then."

* * *

"Nice." Rose whistled in appreciation as she looked at the infinite forest in front of her, blowing quietly on her tea. They had landed on Fauna around half an hour ago, and the Doctor had managed to dredge up an old-fashioned kettle and gas burner from the endless capacity of his ship, so now the two of them were sitting on fold-away chairs (another thing that the Doctor had produced) in front of the TARDIS sipping tea. It was quite nice really, just sitting and sipping, Rose thought, her muscles purring in appreciation; they hardly ever got such a rest.

"Hurry _up_." The Doctor moaned impatiently, and Rose half-laughed, half-cried with annoyance. The Doctor was a genius- could do so many things with different coloured potions and gadgets that would never make any sense to Rose, and yet he couldn't understand the concept of 'sitting down' or '_relaxing_.' The words were like some foreign language to him.

Rose huffed. "Stop fidgeting!" She hissed as he swivelled around his chair for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes, and he shot her an innocent look.

"I'm _bored_." He whimpered, and Rose almost expected a childish "play with me mummy!" on the end. She sighed- he was like some excitable puppy, full of energy… minus the doggy smell.

"I don't _care_ if you are bored." She said sternly. "I'm sitting here until I've finished my tea- go and tinker in the TARDIS for a bit or something." And with that, he vanished like a shot- his eagerness leaving a little cloud of dust behind.

She sighed contently at the silence that followed- she loved the Doctor dearly, but sometimes it he was so _draining_! She tested her tea, and finding it at drinkable temperature, took a mouthful.

And almost spat it out again in surprise as a tree detached itself from its cousins and began walking casually towards her.

"Hello." It said as it drew nearer, and Rose could see immediately that it wasn't a real tree- it sort of a mixture of plant and man; it had a humans shape and features, but deformed hands- they were gnarled and curled like tree roots- and earthen, dirt coloured skin.

"Hi." She spluttered, choking slightly on her tea. She coughed again and straightened, grinning. "Sorry about that- you took me by surprise."

"I gather you haven't met one of the Forest of Cheem race before?" The tree-man asked, unperturbed by Rose's reaction. She smiled ruefully.

"I was kinda obvious, wasn't I?" the tree-man shook his leafy head.

"Oh, no you really weren't." He said; all seriousness. "You had me fooled!" He coughed. "For about half a second, but still…" Rose giggled, taking an instant liking to the bizarre fellow.

"I've never heard of you- human, sorry." Rose paused to register his expression; she hoped he wouldn't go crazy at her for being a human, as Rose rather liked him. "But I'm sure my friend has." She continued, after ascertaining that his expression had remained pleasant. She rose and gave the TARDIS a smack. The sound echoed through the wood hollowly, and seconds later a disgruntled Doctor appeared.

"There better have been a very good reason for scratching Mabel's paintwork, Tyler." He warned, eyes narrowed. Rose huffed at his tone- deciding to let his most recent nickname "Mabel' slide (he changed them every week; last weeks had been Judith)- and nodded at the tree-man. "We have a visitor, Doctor"- she paused. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Twigs That Shine in the Sunlight."

Rose blinked. "Um, long name." He nodded solemnly.

"Lengthy titles are traditional amongst my people- most call me Twigs." He offered, his dark, woody eyes blinking slowly. "Come, I shall take you to the Circle." Rose glanced at the Doctor quickly for explanation, but he was too busy exciting over the fact that they were going to explore that he didn't notice.

"Come on Rose!" He crowed happily. "We're going into the forest! _If_ _you go into the woods today you're sure to get a surprise_…" Rose didn't know how the Doctor knew the words to _Teddy Bears Picnic_, but she felt it safer to just not ask- rolling her eyes at the tree-man, she set of after her friend, quickly getting swallowed by the dark shadows cast by the huge trees.

* * *

The trees were _moving_.

Rose could hear their leaves rustling, their branches creaking, but she wasn't afraid. How could she be? Of solid, immobile wooden objects?! No, that was silly…

But they were still moving.

On the peripheral of her vision, Rose watched as a tree- average looking; perhaps a bit tall, but still- twitched, some of its leaves falling out at the movement. What seemed to Rose, if she squinted her eyes and tried hard, an almost head-like shape in the trunk followed the dead leaves, and then with an ominous creak, the whole tree bent at the middle and scooped up the fallen leaves, dumping them into a hollow near its base, like some bizarre street-sweeper. The whole process took only a few seconds, and when Rose blinked, the tree was frozen once more, as if it had never moved. She frowned, daring the tree to move again, but it didn't. Rose shook herself roughly, and moved on.

"Come on, Tyler- the Circle is waiting!" The Doctor crowed, oblivious to Rose's ponderings. He paused, frowning. "Why is it always the 'circle'?" he asked, curiously. "Why not 'the square', or 'the trapezium'?"

"'Welcome to the great Trapezium'?" Rose scoffed. "It sounds like an art museum!"

The Doctor thought for a moment, before nodding. "Yep. Don't sound right, mate."

"Innit." Rose muttered under breath, smiling. Then she shivered- chavvy Doctor didn't sound good. She had a brief image of a teenage Doctor wearing Burberry and cheap sunglasses, hanging around outside the Co-op with his mates and taunting old ladies pushing tartan shopping trolleys. And then she really couldn't control her laughter anymore, letting in out in a huge honk that startled the Doctor into leaping a foot into the air.

The Doctor shot her a taken aback look. "What?" But try as she might, Rose couldn't reign in the giggles enough to explain. The Doctor threw her a disturbed look before addressing the tree-man. "Sorry 'bout this- Rose is normally so civilised. Humans y'know?"

Twigs nodded empathetically, and glanced at Rose- who still hadn't stopped laughing and had a mixture of tears and snot running down her face. His eyebrows rose silently, but he didn't say anything.

"Anyway," he said, and Rose finally managed to stop. "I present to you the Great Circle of the Vixi."

Moments later, Rose was in a clearing- a normal, average clearing; with trees ringing its edges and a border of tiny powder-blue flowers, the infinite, cloudless sky stretching above her.

Normal.

Except for the twelve, huge trees that were standing in a loose circle, chatting quietly together in the centre of the clearing. As one they turned to face the newcomers, and Rose found herself greeting six pairs of piercing, woody eyes.

It seemed these were the Vixi she had heard so much about.

**A/N: Ooh, well… reviews? Hmm… **


	4. The Singing Trees 2

**A/N: Right, given that this story hasn't been THAT successful, and because she's brilliant; I am formerly dedicating this saga to Lizzle09. Yeah, people! She reviews! And, so do other people, but I hear from her a lot, so this and its four other parts are offically hers! **

**Three: The Singing Trees (2)**

"**U**h, hi." Rose tried, her voice hoarse. She swallowed; her nervousness making her throat thick. The six pairs of eyes blinked silently in unison, but they held no anger or hostility in them, which gave Rose some courage. The Doctor smiled encouragingly when she glanced at him, and she half-smiled in return, but inside she was shrieking- why is it always me who has to deal with the aliens?!

"I shall speak on behalf on the Circle, if you do not protest." Twig That Shine in the Sunlight bowed, his voice servant-like. The Doctor nodded once, and Twigs turned to the Vixi. Although Rose heard no words, she could tell Twigs was communicating with the trees. After moments of silent exchange, Twigs turned back to them.

"You are welcome, Doctorrose." Twigs said, his voice taking on a flat, tape-like quality, and Rose realized she wasn't talking to Twigs; she was talking to the Circle. Twigs was only replaying the message. "Sing with us."

Rose blinked and looked at the Doctor questioningly. Sing? He winked.

"Oh, did I mention that the primary greeting of the Vixi is to involve all of the visitors in singing?!" he chuckled. "Bet those singing lessons when you were seven aren't looking so pointless now, are they!"

Rose stared at him, aghast (hardly pausing to contemplate how the Doctor knew she'd taken singing lessons when she was seven) before grinning as realisation struck her. The Doctor's smile slowly slid off his face as he noticed her sly, evil expression.

"…what?" He asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Rose tilted her head innocently, but then gave up as her evil grin broke through.

"Never mind me having to sing- you're gonna have to sing as well!" She crowed, delighted. "Bet those singing lessons when you were a hundred and twenty aren't looking so pointless now, are they?!" the Doctor huffed, his hands on his hips irritably.

"Hey, I was a hundred and four, lady, so don't mock me!"

Rose blinked at him, incredulous.

"I was joking." She laughed. The Doctor looked uncomfortable.

"Er, yeah, so was I…" he coughed and avoided her gaze, his attention fixing once more on the Vixi. "Anyways! … Shall we get back to the Circle?" Rose giggled.

"I can't believe you had singing lessons…" she muttered, and she could have sworn there were slight pink patches on the Doctor's cheeks as he studiously ignored her.

Twigs That Shine in the Sunlight interrupted before Rose could continue. "Shall we?" Immediately, Rose quieted, and followed the Doctor's lead; she padded forward over the soft, springy grass and sat cross-legged on one of the two silk blankets that had been laid out for visitors.

"What are we gonna sing?" She whispered.

"It'll all become clear, trust me." The Doctor replied, his voice soft and pleasant in her ears. Suddenly, Rose's ears were filled with the creaks and groans of the twelve trees as the Vixi slowly lowered themselves to the floor, so that she and the Doctor were now part of the Circle. The Doctor twitched slightly on his rug, trying to get comfortable- his, Rose noticed, was noticeably bigger than hers, as if it were meant for two. Not pausing for thought, she wriggled over onto his, and he put an arm round her without hesitation. She moved slightly closer and rested her head on his shoulder- she'd never noticed before, but it was the perfect height for her to do it. Rose felt some satisfaction from knowing that she was stealing all of the Doctor's warmth- half an hour later and he'd be shivering!

"They're going to sing first, and then we're expected to join in." he murmured in her ear. "They'll let us know. I'm really looking forward to this; I've been told you're very good." Rose scowled- she's was never letting him near Jackie again. Ever.

She was about to reply when the Doctor closed his eyes, and she looked around, noticing that the Vixi had done the same. Trying not to feel idiotic, she followed suit, waiting for something to happen.

And waited.

And waited.

A full two minutes had gone by before Rose cracked open one eye, looking around the Circle dubiously- each of the trees seemed to be in a deep trance, and the Doctor's head was bowed, his chin almost touching his chest.

"Oi!" She hissed, but he didn't move- she tried again, but got no response, so elbowed him hard. He jerked and glared at her.

"What, woman?" He whispered, his eyes flashing. She tried to be taken aback by his hostility, but his expression only made her laugh, because she could see his normal warmth and humour behind it.

"What's going on? Is something meant to be happening?" She whispered back, and the Doctor looked at her blankly. Suddenly, he brightened.

"Of course!" He cried softly. "Oops, sorry Rose- I completely forgot about you being human…" Without pausing to explain, he placed his hands on either side of her head- she had a briefly moment to reflect on how big his hands were, before a bizarre feeling washed over her. The sensation of a vat of boiling water being tipped over Rose's head -followed so quickly by an ice cold one that she almost missed it- swept over her skin; leaving it tingling. The Doctor took his hands off her head and leaned back slightly. "That should do it…"

Rose looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"Listen." So Rose listened, and realised she could hear a faint but lovely sound playing softly in the back of her head.

It was like what she'd heard before, in the TARDIS- it was music, but far surpassing humans standards; celestial and utterly, obviously, not of Rose's world. "What is it?" She breathed.

"It's the song of the Vixi." He explained, murmuring so softly that she had to strain to hear. "They're singing- on a telepathical level, of course. That's why you couldn't hear it before- you needed your subconscious channels unlocking. The only reason you could hear it in the TARDIS is because you were once linked with the Time Vortex and it was being channelled through the TARDIS; anyone else and they would have heard nothing." He winked at her. "See? You're one special thing, Rose Tyler."

"I was that already, thank you- Time Vortex or no." the Doctor seemed ready to reply, but acceleration in the song's tune stopped him.

It continued to rise- getting even nicer as she listened. The rhythm increased until Rose's heart was beating in time with it; racing ahead of it's usual pace and making her muscles tense and her ears pound. It seemed whatever song the Vixi were 'singing', it was reaching its climax.

Without warning, the song stopped completely, and Rose's heart skipped a beat, making her chest ache. It restarted mere seconds after stopping and continued getting softer and gentler, until it faded completely, and there was only the sound of hers and the Doctor's heavy breathing.

"I think this is where we come in." The Doctor muttered, shaking himself, grinning. "You ready Tyler?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Rose took a deep breath. She felt the Doctor's hand slip into hers, and instantly she felt another consciousness enter her mind. The Doctor's mind was like a doorway to the Vixi- she felt them through him. The trees didn't talk as such, but immediately Rose knew what they were trying to say.

But the Vixi weren't really that important now- Rose was more interested in the consciousness that was holding hers. The Doctor's mind was… brilliant. Vast, byzantine, complex; the words sprung to Rose's head, but she paid them no attention. But his was so much bigger, so much more… Rose couldn't think of the word. Intelligent? Developed? She didn't know, but that's what it felt like to her.

Inside the mind of a Time Lord is an interesting place, she mused, and felt the Doctor chuckle next to her, even though she couldn't see it.

**Ah Rose- you have no idea.** He whispered to her, the words holding a hidden meaning that she couldn't understand.

**You're mind is so much bigger than mine!** She accused, and felt him laugh.

**Jealous, Tyler?** He taunted, his voice mocking.

**A little.** She admitted.

**I'm a Time Lord- you haven't seen the half of my mind, Rose. He laughed. There's a lot in it. Nine hundred years worth of memories, not to mention a truckload of other things.**

**Show me?** Even though Rose asked, she already knew what the answer would be. **But you can't, can you?**

**No. Time Lord and human consciousnesses can't mix, Rose- you won't be able to take the strain. You're mind is so small!** She tried to be insulted, but she knew what he meant- compared to his, her mind was completely tiny.

**But… we're connected now, aren't we?**

**We are, true- but I am shielding most of my mind from you; letting you see enough to communicate- so you're only hearing my normal voice-**

**How many have you got?** She muttered, but he didn't hear her.

**- But not so much that there is a threat to your mind. I wouldn't let that happen.** His tone became dark, determined, and she shivered.

She was going to reply, but suddenly Rose became aware again of the Vixi's consciousnesses, pushed to the back of her head whilst she'd been talking to the Doctor. **So, are we singing then or what?**

**Yep, come on then- show me what you got, Tyler.** His tone changed again; mocking her- her pride growled, inviting the challenge and she hissed competitively.

**Bring it on, Time Lord.**

**Ooh, are we getting personal now, Rose Marion Tyler?** He retorted, and she growled, the voice she heard sounding so unlike herself she stopped, surprised. The Doctor took advantage of her silence and turned to the Vixi.

**Shall we? **He asked politely, and Rose felt the Circle sort of… mentally nod. Abruptly, Rose felt a sudden urge come over her- it was unexplainable, but she knew what the Vixi wanted her to sing. Using simple mental communications, they'd told her an entire song in less than a heartbeat.

Oh, the joys of telepathy.

**One more for Part Four and then off to the ending part! And I just LOVE the one coming... **

**Reviews?**


	5. The Singing Trees 3

**A/N: Last one of this bit! **

**The Singing Trees (3) **

The Vixi were singing- Rose could hear it flow through her mind like rich, sweet water. The notes were pure and unheard, and Rose fell instantly in love with the song. After several seconds, she joined in.

How different her mental voice sounded!

It was… beautiful. It rose and fell like a gently rolling hill, making the loveliest of melodies Rose had ever heard- the sounds and tunes and pitches melding together in the perfect harmony. It was utterly unlike her normal Cockney drawl- maybe this was what the Doctor meant by different voices…

But she was too busy listening to the song that they were singing to concentrate on her voice; there were no lyrics to it, but words were sewn into the very fabric of the notes. And everything Rose heard, she could _understand_, in a way; it sang of times she didn't know, of planets and stars and wonderful legends- stories and myths and fantasies and other people's dreams; of pasts and presents and futures passed down through generations upon generation of Vixi; never changed, never forgotten.

**What is this, Doctor? **She asked as she sang- although singing should have consumed all of her concentration, Rose found it was startlingly easy to do both, as if part of her was designed to do that, and the other part was suited to talking, making it as simple as breathing.

**Memories and stories and countless anecdotes are created and passed on through these songs.** He explained. **Listen**. Rose listened, and underlying all of the bits of broken song was a story (how she knew that's what is was, she didn't know); about a girl- young ... but _so_ old at the same time. Rose couldn't see her face, but she could almost _sense_ what she looked like- white and darkness, ice-blue (Rose paused to listen again, more information seeping into her head) all the colours mixing to form a picture in her mind's eye; black curling hair, skin paler than she'd ever seen on a person…

**She's a legend, amongst the Vixi- she's famous on a lot of planets, actually; she saved their entire race a few hundred years ago, and they've never forgotten her.** He whispered softly.

**She dead.** It wasn't a question, but Rose noticed that the Doctor hesitated slightly longer than usual before answering her- as if he were indecisive… or in pain.

**But she lives on, in the stories.**The Doctor continued, Rose not noticing the hiss of pain behind his usual cheery words. **As long as there are Vixi to pass them on, she's immortal, living an endless life in their history.**

**That's… beautiful.**She whispered, lost for words.

**Yeah.** His reply was short and clipped, as if were a topic that caused him great discomfort, so she didn't press him to elaborate.

**Show me what you really sound like.** She said suddenly- more to banish the darkness that was underlying their conversation, but she actually was very curious- and it shook the Doctor out of his black mood.

**What?**

**You said before.** Rose prompted.** That you were shielding me from what your voice really sounds like. **She paused. **So... your mental voice is different than your real one, and this is what I really sound like? **She marvelled at the flawless voice that echoed through her mind; it _couldn't_ be hers!

She heard the Doctor laugh_,_ the noise resonating deep inside a forgtten part of her mind.

**More or less, yes.** He answered. **This is your mental voice, Rose.**

**So, will you show me yours?**

**Well...** he paused thoughtfully. **I suppose I could reconnect the physic-kinetic networks and manipulate the causal nexus strands linking our minds...**

Rose blinked. **Er, all right... you do that**.

The Doctor was silent for a moment.

**There we are!** He said finally. **You should be able to hear the difference**.

But Rose wasn't listening.

She was too busy trying to control her mind, which had skittered in every direction possible when the Doctor had spoken. She couldn't move.

**Rose, are you alright?** Rose felt herself collapse as he spoke again. But his voice was just so _beautiful._..

**Now you're just exaggerating.**

Rose blushed. She'd forgotten the Doctor could hear everything she thought.

**Not really.** She admitted. **It's _lovely. _**

**That seems a popular opinion**. The Doctor said smugly. **I've been told that so many times...**

Rose felt a pang of unexplainable jealousy, but she pushed it away. **Vanity was never a good look for you, Doctor. **

He laughed, and Rose forgot about his remark; the simple sound was breathtakingly beautiful; like sparkling wind chimes. She loved it- it was so different from his usual voice, but behind the perfect words lay a distinct Doctor-ishness; but more poetic, like he was singing. Singing all the time...

The flawless voice of an angel.

**Now that is going too far, Rose.** The Doctor chuckled, and she hissed with pleasure at the sound. She couldn't help it- every syllable he uttered made her heart sing- why was it affecting her this way?

**You're human; I can't hold it against you if my voice makes you powerless.** The Doctor sounded so smug and satisfied that Rose would have scowled if she hadn't been hanging helplessly on every word he said.

**How come _mine _isn't doing the same to _you_?** She asked crossly, and the Doctor lost his smugness.

**Oh it _is_**. He admitted. **But I have better restraint than you, petty human.**

**Petty human with a lovely voice.** She retorted, and he didn't argue, of which she was thankful; any more of his voice and she'd be completely out of control; it was so beautiful it made her chest ache.

But she couldn't let it cloud her judgement.

To distract herself, Rose focused more on the song that was still being sung. It seemed the entire song was about the woman who'd saved them;

With every line, a picture sprang up in front of her eyes, burning on her retinas like cool fire. An invasion- spaceships hovering, shooting. Acres of forests burning. Screams. Vixi fleeing.

And in the midst of the chaos, the woman, with a long black coat on. Rose sensed it was hers, but it reminded her strongly of the Doctor's. She was walking through it all. Talking to the aliens; saying words Rose knew so well, but coming from the wrong mouth.

_You get one chance- stop now. Because if you don't, I have to stop you. _

The aliens laughing bitterly. And then screaming as they ships were torn apart and they were sucked into the Void. The girl, not waiting to be thanked by the Vixi. Disappearing into the mists. Her departure witnessed, but the memory had grown clouded with the generations- marked only by a noise.

A whir of ancient, familiar engines...

**Time Lord.** Rose gasped, breaking out of the trance. **She was a _Time Lord_?!**

**Yeah**. The Doctor answered shortly.

**A Time Lord saved the Vixi**. Rose said slowly, and then smiled. **She sounded like you- what she said to them. It's what you would've said.**

The Doctor didn't say anything.

**Doctor?**

**It's time we stopped now.** He said, abruptly breaking their connection, the song in Rose's head ceasing suddenly, leaving her with a bizarre sense of loneliness.

Opening eyes she hadn't realised she'd closed; Rose looked around, blinking in the harsh sunlight.

"Shame it's over so quickly." She remarked sadly, and the Doctor laughed.

"Rose, we've been sitting here for over and two and a half hours." He paused. "Well, if we're going to be precise; two hours, eighteen minutes and four seconds."

Hours? It had seemed like mere minutes. Rose coughed, embarrassed. "Oh, right- yeah, I knew that."

The Doctor smiled; stretched and stood up slowly; Rose followed, her shoulders popping painfully and she hissed at the stiffness. Maybe they _had_ been sitting down for hours.

* * *

"Now, why don't you tell me where you want to go next?" The Doctor said, his long coat swishing as he chucked it blindly- as always, it landed with stunning accuracy that only the Doctor seemed to possess- onto the coral-like beam as he strode past.

Rose swallowed and smiled at him. "This your last one before I take over again remember, so give it some thought- I can't _wait_." He said, grinning. "I think I've been shown up enough for one lifetime."

Rose stopped; a though coming to her.

It was the one place she wanted to go now- but could she ask? _Should_ she?

No, she shouldn't be entertaining such thoughts-Rose wasn't even sure it was possible- it just wasn't fair to him…

"Rose?" the Doctor's voice brought her back to reality, and she felt guilt rise in her throat. "You made your mind up yet, woman? I don't know; human females these days- in one ear, out the other! Come on, out with it. I won't laugh- tell me and we'll go, promise."

Rose looked up. Anywhere? "Really?" She asked timidly, and he grinned encouragingly, completely clueless.

"Course! You're in charge, so I have no say- we go where you want to go." He paused. "Unless you want to go to the sun. You don't do you?" Rose shook her head.

"Well, then out with it girl! What planet do you want to go to?"

Rose could only shake her head. "You won't like it."

The Doctor only snorted. "_I'll_ be the judge of that- just say it. I won't freak or have a hissy fit like a big girl or whatever else it is you're worried about."

"You _might_." She said, running a hand over the TARDIS console nervously, unable to meet the Doctor's gaze.

"Can…" Rose hesitated and then continued in a rush, as if she was afraid if she didn't, the words would be stopped if she didn't say them fast enough.

And then she said the one thing she knew she shouldn't ever ask.

"Can we go to yours?"

**Really enjoyed writing this story- it was written solely so I could go to Gallifrey! Hehe... **

**Anyway, next part is called PART FIVE: Solace and Solitude- I'll post the first next weekend, if you're hopeful.**

**Reviews? **


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